


The Spirit of Music

by DigitalThespian



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Music, Songfic, Vignette, i guess?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalThespian/pseuds/DigitalThespian
Summary: The farmer snuck into the community center to play bass guitar; he didn't expect he would have company.Hedefinitelydidn't expect the company to be Mayor Lewis.
Kudos: 16





	The Spirit of Music

**Author's Note:**

> My brain spit this out while I was writing a totally different Stardew Valley fic, so here, have a thing! It's not necessarily great, but it was kind of spur-of-the-moment, so I'm not too worried about that. Have a silly piece about the joys of music!
> 
> Also yes, the title is based on the lyric from Spirit of Radio by Rush. The song contained in the fic itself is Red Barchetta, which you can find on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvcgST_n6Mg

The door to the community center opened slowly, and Kaleb placed a hand over the strings of his bass, freezing in place. He had thought the big empty room had good acoustics, and figured it'd be fine, since no one ever came here; plus it was eight-o-clock at night anyway.

Seems he was wrong. Thank god he hadn't been playing at the time. He slowly turned the volume knob to zero.

There was a thunk as something bumped the door, causing it to vibrate in its frame slightly. This was followed by muttering, but it wasn't quite loud enough to make out who it was. "I could have sworn I heard a bass guitar, but I suppose that's just my old mind filling in the blanks."

Crap. It was Mayor Lewis, and he was _definitely_ coming inside, for whatever reason. Then he sidled through the doorway, hefting a large—but still technically in the range of 'portable'—guitar amp.

Kaleb was shocked. _No way. Mayor Lewis comes to the Community Center to play guitar?!_

Lewis set the amp down, then went back outside, returning a moment later with an electric guitar. It was a nice one, too; it had the classic Stratocaster body shape, but it was clear even across the room that it wasn't one of the low-end ones you tend to find in pawn shops.

Kaleb sheepishly thought about his own guitar, which fit that description to a T. He'd even _bought_ the damn thing at a pawn shop.

Lewis looked around outside, as if to make sure he hadn't been followed, then closed it behind him. He turned around and saw Kaleb, freezing in place himself.

They stared at each other in complete silence, unmoving.

Finally, Lewis relaxed a bit and spoke up. "..I would ask you not to tell anyone, but it seems we both have the same idea."

Kaleb laughed. "Yeah, I saw it was you and thought 'aw shit, I was making such a good impression, too,' and then I saw your amp and my jaw about hit the floor."

Lewis raised an eyebrow, a smile playing about his lips. "What, you think an old man like me can't play?"

"How old is Alex Lifeson, now?" Came the reply.

"Sixty-seven," Lewis answered immediately.

"Wha—" Kaleb blinked in surprise. "I didn't expect you to actually _know_ that; I was only asking rhetorically."

"We were both born in fifty-three; easy to remember when we're the same age."

Kaleb broke into an excited smile. "Didn't realize you were such a big Rush fan, I'd have invited you over earlier to check out my turntable setup."

This time it was Lewis' turn to be surprised. His eyebrows went up. "You have a vinyl collection?"

Kaleb shrugged sheepishly, chuckling. "I mean.. It's like, ten or fifteen records, but yeah. Few Rush albums, a Japanese Simon and Garfunkel album—not kidding, it's a 'best of' album, but it's the Japanese release? It's weird—" He cut himself off. "Anyway, I've also got some Chicago, with a few oddballs thrown in."

Lewis nodded in approval. "You've got good priorities, those are all excellent choices for the start of a collection. Now," He swung his guitar in front of him with a grin. "How about you show this old man what you can do?"

"I'm no Geddy Lee, but that's a pretty unfair comparison to begin with; I'll do my best to keep up." Kaleb grinned back widely. "Let's rock."

* * *

Abigail, Sebastian, and Sam crept towards the old community center.

Sam looked at Sebastian with an unsure expression. "Are you sure you heard music? No one _ever_ goes in there, why would there be music?"

Sebastian nodded. "I'm sure. I was walking back after having a smoke, and I'm _sure_ I heard someone listening to rock music."

Abigail grinned. "Well, let's check it out then!"

"Who do you think it is?" Sam asked.

Sebastian shrugged. "I dunno; maybe the farmer? Why else would we only be finding out now?"

"Maybe they've just been quieter about it all this time, so no one noticed?" Abigail suggested.

"Shh!" Sebastian put a finger to his lips. "You hear that?"

There was a faint melody emanating from the front windows of the community center. Sam nodded in approval. "Good choice. It's Rush; I don't remember which song, though."

They crept closer, until they were underneath the window. The music was a lot clearer, and Sam furrowed his brow. "Doesn't this sound a little weird to you?"

"Yeah, there's no drums, and the vocalist is totally different; I guess it's a cover?"

The song faded out, and a faint voice could be heard. " _How do you feel about doing Red Barchetta?_ "

" _Oh, I am so down. You go ahead, the bass comes in later anyway,_ "

The trio exchanged incredulous glances. Abigail was the first to break the silence. " _They're_ the ones playing?!"

Sebastian whistled. "They're pretty good, too. The bassist isn't quite up to snuff, but that's a hell of a bar to meet."

"But man, can the guitarist _play_ ," Sam leaned closer to the wall, listening in.

The melody started out with a series of harmonic notes, and soon the bass picked up a strong rhythm.

" _My uncle has a country place that no one knows about,_ "

" _He says it used to be a farm before the motor law,_ "

" _And now on Sundays I elude the eyes, and hop the turbine freight,_ "

" _To far outside the wire where my white haired uncle waits,_ "

The group found themselves nodding along as the guitar went into an upbeat interval section.

" _Jump to the ground as the turbo slows to cross the borderline,_ "

" _Run like the wind as excitement shivers up and down my spine!_ "

There was a break in the volume, but the tempo didn't let up, the vocalist bringing a quiet intensity.

" _But down in his barn, my uncle preserved for me a lone machine, for fifty odd years,_ "

" _To keep it as new has been his dearest dream,_ "

There was another short series of harmonics similar to the beginning, then the bass came back in.

" _I strip away the old debris that hides a shining car,_ "

" _A brilliant red Barchetta from a better managed time,_ "

" _We'll fire up a willing engine responding with a roar, tires spitting gravel I commit my weekly crime,_ "

The guitarist dragged his pick up the strings, producing a sound not unlike the sound of a car engine. "Oh, damn, that was _sweet_ ," Abigail whispered.

The three found themselves bobbing their heads along to the accented notes in the following palm muted section.

" _Wind... In my hair... Shifting and drifting... Mechanical music... Adrenaline surge,_ "

There was a laugh from one of the two; they were clearly having a great time.

The melody returned, quickly building in intensity.

" _Well-oiled leather, hot metal and oil, the scented country air,_ "

" _Sunlight on chrome, the blur of the landscape, every nerve aware,_ "

The bass dropped off, and there followed a guitar solo that had Sam's eyebrows attempting to achieve liftoff. The three looked at each other, shocked.

"Holy shit," Sebastian expressed the feelings of the group, and they nodded silently in amazement.

Another melody section started.

" _Suddenly ahead of me, across the mountainside, a gleaming alloy aircar shoots towards me two lanes wide,_ "

" _Oh, I spin around with shrieking tires to run the deadly race,_ "

" _Go screaming through the valley as another joins the chase,_ "

The lead guitar leapt into another interval section, jumping from note to note without pause or error.

" _Run like the wind, straining the limits of machine and man,_ "

" _Laughing out loud with fear and hope I've got a desperate plan,_ "

" _At the one-lane bridge I leave the giants stranded at the riverside,_ "

" _Race back to the farm, to dream with my uncle by the fireside,_ "

The harmonic part from the beginning returned once more, and the bassist tossed in a few solo-esqe riffs for a while, before they both slowly faded to silence.

The vocalist could be heard again. " _Damn. That was fucking **awesome** ; I don't think I've **ever** had that much fun playing. I guess it's just more fun not playing alone._"

Another voice responded. " _Agreed! You should ask if you can play along with Abigail, Sam, and Sebastian; they're quite good, but they don't have a bassist._ "

" _Ooh, you're right; and they've got Simon and Garfunkel written all over them, which I can definitely get behind. I'll see if I can steer the conversation that way sometime; failing that, I'll just catch them at the Saloon and ask._ " There was a pause. " _Speaking of though, you can **shred** ; why haven't **you** joined up?"_

" _I didn't want to intrude. You're actually their age,_ "

" _Well, your secret is safe with me. Same time next week?_ "

The trio looked at each other in alarm. "Shit! Go, go, go," Abigail hissed.

* * *

Sam, Sebastian, and Abigail were gathered around the pool table as usual, but they weren't playing as usual. They were too busy watching everyone who came even remotely near them, with varying degrees of subtlety.

Kaleb walked in, and began to walk over. Abigail slapped at Sebastian's arm without looking. "Seb! Seb!"

"Ow, knock it off, I see him, he's _right there_."

Kaleb watched this with amusement. "You uh.. You guys doin' alright there?"

"Yep!" Abigail beamed, and Sebastian rolled his eyes.

Sam tilted his head. "You look like you came over here for more than just idle curiosity."

"Yeah, actually. I heard you guys play at a festival, and I wanted to let you know; if you ever feel like you need a bassist, I'm your guy."

They looked at each other, grinning. "Sounds good to us!"

"..You look like you _expected_ me to ask."

Abigail blanched. "Uh, no, definitely not!"

"We heard you playing in the community center one night. Solid performance of Red Barchetta, by the way." Sebastian abandoned all attempts at concealment, knowing the jig was up.

Kaleb looked around the bar, then leaned in, speaking quietly. "I don't care if people know I was there, but you can't tell anyone about.. you know, _him_ being there; he wants to keep it a secret. I don't know why, but hey, it's his business."

"We don't even know who ' _him_ ' is!" Abigail whispered in exasperation.

"Sorry, I can't tell you."

"Well, tell him we don't care if he's not our age, anyone who can play like that is welcome to jam with us. It's about the music, everything else is secondary," Sam nodded sagely.

Kaleb smiled at him in approval. "Well said, my dude. I'll let him know."

* * *

There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Jodi's voice drifted from the living room. "Oh! They told me you were coming, but I didn't expect you as well."

Kaleb laughed. "He's keeping it on the down-low, so."

"My lips are sealed, of course."

The trio heard footsteps, waiting with baited breath.

Kaleb rounded the corner, carrying a bass guitar and amp. "Hey guys; I brought a friend!"

There was stunned silence as Mayor Lewis stepped around the corner sheepishly, guitar in hand. "Hello, I do hope I'm not butting in."

"Are you _kidding_?!" Sam exclaimed. "No way, man! Are you telling me the Mayor has been tearing it up like that for _years_ and we somehow never noticed!?"

He ducked his head, and Kaleb bumped his shoulder against Lewis'. "Hey, don't be embarrassed, they were pretty emphatic that they wanted you to come along."

Abigail waved the two over. "Yeah! Man, it's gonna be weird having like, a full standard rock arrangement."

"Plus flute, of course," Sebastian added.

"I still feel weird about that, kinda."

Kaleb gave her a disbelieving look. "..Remind me to show you an artist by the name of Jethro Tull."

Lewis laughed. "Oh, she's going to _love_ it."

"I'm thinking Aqualung first, what do you think?"

"Mm, I'm of the opinion Thick as a Brick is their best album, but it's a close call."

The three looked between the two newcomers with wide eyes. "You guys are like, classic rock historians or something."

Kaleb smiled. "Nah, I just like music."

Lewis' eyes twinkled, and he grinned mischievously. "And I'm just old."

"Hey man, like I said, if Alex Lifeson is still rocking, there's no reason you can't be."

"I suppose you're right. So," He lifted his guitar, smile never fading. "We came here to rock, did we not?"

**Author's Note:**

> The working title for this was 'mayor lewis can shred'. I've decided to put the titles at the bottom, since they're usually little stupid jokes, so why not?


End file.
